This archive report was first published on 2 October 2019.
Published on October 2, 2019, DP William Ruto's strategy to win the heart of Kibra locals for his protege, McDonald Mariga, has failed miserably.
Millions of shillings were poured into the constituency in a bid to make Mariga a household name, but the opposite has happened. The ex-footballer does not have supporters in Kibra, and his recent rally at Makina grounds was attended by paid supporters from the two Dagoretti constituencies.
As a result, Ruto summoned Jubilee MCAs from Nairobi and instructed them to accompany Mariga on a door-to-door campaign in Kibra. This move comes even as ODM candidate Imran Okoth is already engaging with the five MCAs in the five wards of Kibra.
“Going forth, we are going to be conducting door-to-door campaigns in Kibra to make sure that Mariga garners more than enough support to win the Kibra legislative seat,” said Jubilee MCA Mr Abdi Hassan.
However, this move throws a spanner in the works following the recent endorsement of ODM's candidate Imran Okoth by a section of Jubilee MPs. Nominated MP Maina Kamanda termed Imran as a 'handshake nominee', observing that it was his personal choice to support him for the sake of 'peace'.
Other Jubilee MPs who are supporting Imran Okoth are Fatima Gedi and Senator Irungu Khangata. Also, Rachel Shebesh, the CAS Gender and Sports, has thrown her weight behind Imran.
